Rotatable connections for pipes or tubes



y 1961 w. HUGHES 2,990,844

ROTATABLE CONNECTIONS FOR PIPES OR TUBES Filed May 12, 1958 2Sheets-Sheet 1 i i /O :5: /4 5 r J 74 2/ v 7 2-. 5

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ROTATABLE CONNECTIONS FOR PIPES OR TUBES Filed May 12, 1958 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor 60% M f om s Un wd See F rm a 2,990,844ROTATABLE CONNECTIONS FOR PIPES OR-TUBES William Hughes, Birchington,England, assignor to Weston Laundry Machine Company Limited, Fave:-sham, Kent, England, a company of Greatliritain FiledMay "12, 1958, Ser.No. 734,791

40m ns, 1 1-35547) This invention relates to a device. for connectingpipes, or tubes so. as ,to..allow one to. rotate through a limited angleabout an axis. relatively to. which the other is stationary,

The device has been designed for use in a type of steam heated laundrypress which is commonly built with two work-receiving tables forming aturntable which by being turned first in one direction and then in theother can cause the tables to be brought alternately beneath a presshead.

According to the invention a device for connecting a tube to anothertube rotatable through a limited angle about an axis fixed relatively tothe first tube is composed of a length of flexible conduit whichconnects the two tubes together and part of which is wrapped round afirst member coaxial with the axis of rotation so as to be wound orunwound thereon by the rotative movement, the variable length of slackconduit thus produced being looped round a second member which ismovable towards and away from the axis of rotation so that the slack istaken up. Advantageously the movement of the second member is controlledby a mechanism which constrains the pulley to move at a rate adjusted soas to take up the spare conduit as it unwinds from the first member.

The following is a more detailed description of one example of theapplication of the invention to a laundry press of the type abovereferred to, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a general view illustrating a known type of laundry press towhich the instant device has been applied,

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation drawn to a larger scale of a deviceaccording to the invention,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional plan of the device, taken on the line Il1III,FIG. 2, and

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of the device taken at right-angles toFIGURE 2, looking from the left of FIG. 3.

FIGURE 1 illustrates a steam heated laundry press of a well-known type,having two work-receiving tables 1 and 2 forming a turntable attached toa spindle 3 which, by being turned through an angle of 180 first in onedirection and then in the other, can cause the tables to be broughtalternately beneath a press head 4. This press has pipes or tubes 9 and10 for the flow and return of steam to the turntables 1 and 2 which mustbe rotatable through an angle of 180 about the axis of spindle 3.

In the device shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, two lengthsof flexible conduit 5 and 6 are used and are connected at one end tofixed flow and return steam pipes 7 and 8 and at the other end to flowand return steam pipes 9 and 10 which are carried by the turntable androtate therewith, being used for supplying steam to heat the tables 1and 2. The pipes or tubes 9 and 10 are thus rotatable about an axisfixed relatively to the pipes or tubes 7 and 8. The junctions betweenthe conduits 5 and 6 and the pipes 7 and 8 are carried by a block 11attached to the fixed base of the machine, whereas the junctions betweenthe conduits 5 and 6 and the pipes 9 and 10 are carried by a block 12fixed to a member 13 which is attached to and rotates with the spindle3. The member 13 is in efiect a double pulley wheel since it has twogrooves 14 for receiving the flexible conduits 5 and 6. However thegrooves 14 do not fia emsd 1 1 961.

extend completely round this pulley-wheelbut are interruptedby affiotch15 into which the block 12 is fixed and by'a notch 16 which accommodatesthe joints 17 between the conduits 5 and 6 and the pipes 9 and 10. Theother ends of the conduits 5 and 6am joined to the pipes Tand 8by'joints 18.

Each length of flexible pipe 5 and 6, starting from the joints 17 ispassed first round the pulley-wheel men ber I13 and then rounfd a'secondpulley-wheel" 1 9 having grooves 20 corresponding to the grooves 14. Thewheel 119 is 'rotatably mounted on a carriage 21 rigidly attached to atoothed rack- 22 'slidably niounted illjlllxfl'g l lfglg 22a sothat thepulley-wheel 1 9 i s movable towardsor away from the axis of rotation ofthe spindle 3 by a sliding movement of the rack 22 in its guides 2201.The carriage 21 is additionally supported by a 'wheel 23 which runs on aflat surface or track 23a provided for it on the fixed base of themachine. The rack 22 meshes with a pinion 24 which is fixed to thespindle 3 so as to rotate therewith.

The pitch diameter of the pinion 24 is equal to half the eflectivediameter of the pulley-wheel member 13. The rack and pinion mechanismtherefore causes the carriage 21 to move towards or away from the axisof rotation of the spindle 3 at a rate equal to half the linear speed atwhich the conduits 5 and 6 wind onto or unwind from the member 13 as thespindle 3 rotates. The pulley 19 is thus moved at the correct speed totake up the spare conduit 5 and 6 payed out from the pulley-wheel member13 as it unwinds therefrom during rotation of the spindle 3 in onedirection and to return the conduit to the pulley member as it rewindsthereon during rotation of the turntable in the opposite direction.

It will be seen from the above description that parts of the lengths offlexible conduit 5 and 6 are wrapped round a first member 13 which iscoaxial with the axis of the spindle 3 so as to be wound or unwound onthat member by the rotative movement of the spindle 3-, the variablelength of slack thus produced being looped round a second memberconstituted by the pulley wheel 19 which is movable towards or away fromthe axis of the spindle 3 so that the slack is taken up.

The coiling and uncoiling of the flexible conduit as it winds onto andunwinds from the first pulley enables the conduit to accommodate therotation of the turntable first in one direction and then in theopposite direction without the application of any twist to the conduit.Moreover, the action of the second pulley in taking up spare conduitkeeps the flexible conduit in a definite position and prevents theformation of a slack or loose loop.

I claim:

1. An anti-slack device comprising a first fixed tube, a second tuberotatably mounted about an axis of rotation which is fixed relatively tothe first tube, comprising a length of flexible conduit which connectssaid first and second tubes together and part of which is wrapped rounda first member coaxial with the axis of rotation so as to be wound orunwound thereon by the rotative movement of said first member, a secondmember, means for moving said second member towards and away from saidaxis of rotation the variable length of slack conduit thus producedbeing looped round said second member which is moveable towards and awayfrom said axis of rotation so that the slack is taken up.

2. A device according to claim 1 including other means whereby themovement of the second member is constrained to move at the correct raterequired to take up the spare conduit as it unwinds from the firstmember.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the other means consists of atoothed rack which effects the movement of the second member and isdriven by a toothed v t 3 Y wheel which is constrained to rotate withthe first member.

4. An anti-slack device comprising a first fixed tube, a second tuberotatably mounted about an axis of rotation which is fixed relatively tothe first tube, comprising a first pulley wheel rotatable with saidsecond-mentioned tube about said axis, a carriage movable towards oraway from said axis, a second pulley wheel rotatably mounted on saidcarriage, a length of flexible conduit connected at one end to saidfirst-mentioned tube and at the other end to said second mentioned tube,said length of flexible conduit being wrapped round said first pulleywheel and looped round said second pulley wheel, and means operativelyconnected to said carriage and said first pulley wheel for moving saidcarriage towards and away from said axis at a rate equal to half thelinear References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,468,620 Addy Sept. 25, 1923 2,157,887 Davis May 9, 1939 2,201,954Flygare May 21, 1940 2,896,659 Erickson July 8, 1959

